Tigers are back at it

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, February 15, 2007

Has it really been four months since the Detroit Tigers lost Game 5 of the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals?

Yes, it has. But there is good news for all Tiger fans.

The Boys of Summer are back.

The Tigers, along with the rest of Major League Baseball, returned this week for spring training. Many of the defending American League champions started arriving in Lakeland on Thursday. Pitchers and catchers will hold their first workouts today while the rest of the squad is expected to report and work out Wednesday.

Expectations are running high this spring after the club snapped a 12-season losing streak. Detroit made it to the post-season for the first time since 1987 and knocked off the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics before losing to the Cardinals in five games in the World Series.

The Tigers pretty much stayed status quo over the off-season. The one big move they made was getting slugger Gary Sheffield from the Yankees in exchange for a couple of promising pitchers. We hope Sheffield pays dividends for the next couple of seasons. Giving away fine young arms for an aging veteran is always a gamble.

The Tigers do have a few holes to fill in the bullpen, as well as solve some things in the outfield.

But overall, they should once again be in the hunt in the American League.

Now Playing:

And won't that make for another exciting summer in the state of Michigan?